GrowthStory's K Ganesh and Meena have acquired Bangalore-based offline design firm Bello Interiors Pvt Ltd and rebranded it as HomeLane, an online marketplace for fixed furniture. The husband-wife duo have brought in Srikanth Iyer, ex-CEO of Pearson India and founder of Edurite, and Rama Harinath, ex-senior management member at TutorVista as co-founders. It's worth noting that K Ganesh and Meena had sold 76% stake in online tutoring company TutorVista Global Pvt Ltd to UK-based Pearson for $127 million in 2011, and later sold the remaining 20% stake to Pearson in 2013. Pearson had appointed Srikanth Iyer as CEO at the time of this deal. Solutions & Features: HomeLane will be selling furniture goods such as entertainment units, wardrobes, kitchen units, study tables, and shoe racks among other items. Additionally, it will also offer customization, help in planning the interiors, etc. The company claims it will deliver products within 4 weeks, and provide 3-year manufacturer warranty. HomeLane has launched operations in Bangalore and plans to expand to 7 more cities in a year's time. The company has also launched a home planning feature called HomeLane Planner in beta. This feature enables home owners to accurately visualise their kitchen or bedroom. It can be used to place modular units or kitchen appliances exactly where the home owner wants, and plan the bedroom furniture setup. Once they submit the design, HomeLane claims that its interior designers will review and suggest changes, and also provide a free design, including 3D snapshots. Competition: HomeLane will be competing against…
